Release Date: February 24, 2012
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Tyler Perry
Screenwriter: Tyler Perry
Starring: Tyler Perry, Thandie Newton
Genre: Drama, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13
****
CAST INFO
TYLER PERRY (Wesley Deeds) - See
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
BAFTA Award-winning THANDIE NEWTON (Lindsey Wakefield) is
not only one of the world's great beauties, but an actress of uncommon talent
and range.
Thandie was most recently seen making her stage debut in London's West End starring
in "Death and the Maiden" by Ariel Dorfman. On screen she was most
recently seen in Retreat," an independent psychological thriller opposite
Cillian Murphy and Jamie Bell, directed by Carl Tibbetts. The film is about a
couple secluded on a remote Scottish island, their lives shattered by the arrival
of a wounded marine warning them of a global pandemic.
In 2010, Thandie starred in "For Colored Girls," opposite Whoopi Goldberg
and Janet Jackson. Prior to that, she starred in Roland Emmerich's "2012" for
Columbia with John Cusack, which revolves around an academic researcher who battles
to prevent an apocalypse predicted by the ancient Mayans. The film grossed over
$750 million worldwide.
Thandie was praised for her work in the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture
of 2006: "Crash," the story of a multiracial group of characters whose
lives interconnect following a car accident in Los Angeles. For her performance,
Thandie received BAFTA (Outstanding Supporting Actress) and SAG (Best Ensemble)
Awards.
Thandie also starred in "RocknRolla," written and directed by Guy Ritchie,
opposite Gerard Butler and Olive Stone's film "W." as Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice opposite Josh Brolin.
Other films have included "Vanishing on 7 th Street" directed by Brad
Anderson; David Schwimmer's comedy "Run Fat Boy Run," opposite Hank
Azaria and Simon Pegg; Gabriele Muccino's critically acclaimed box office hit "The
Pursuit of Happyness," opposite Will Smith; Jonathan Demme's contemporary
romantic thriller "The Truth About Charlie," inspired by Stanley Donen's
1963 film "Charade;" and the John Woo-helmed action film "Mission
Impossible 2." She received rave reviews for her astonishingly original
and bold performance as the title character in Jonathan Demme's 1998 adaptation
of Toni Morrison's novel, "Beloved," co-starring Oprah Winfrey.
Thandie is actively involved in the V-Day foundation. In 2011 she attended the
opening of the City of Joy in Bukavu, DRC. It houses and supports women survivors
of sexual violence and provides them with opportunities to develop their leadership
skills through innovative programming.
Thandie also spoke at the prestigious Ted Global Conference in 2011.
Thandie is currently a spokeswoman for Olay.
BRIAN WHITE (Walt Deeds) is in
for a busy year – as he stars in three upcoming films and a hit TV series.
On the small screen, White reprised his popular role of Marcus in the Emmy®-award
nominated drama series "Men of A Certain Age" which stars Ray Romano,
Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three best friends in their late forties dealing
with the realities of middle age. White is almost a nemesis to Braugher's character ‘Owen'
as ‘Marcus' constantly outshines him at t he car lot where they are both
salesmen. Owen's father, the owner of the lot, considers Marcus the "son
he wished he had."
Later
this year, White stars opposite Academy®-award nominee Richard Jenkins
and Emmy®-award winner Bradley Whitford in the Joss Whedon / Drew Goddard
horror film "The Cabin in the Woods" and will also star in the upcoming
Bollywood romantic comedy film "Politics of Love" opposite Mallika
Sherawat, Loretta Devine and Ruby Dee. "Politics of Love" is a romantic
comedy that follows the fortunes of a campaign team caught up in a whirlwind
of euphoric romances during Obama's presidential push.
White has showcased
his talent with a multitude of characters in different genres of film: in 2009,
White starred in "Tyler Perry 's I Can Do Bad All
by Myself" (Lionsgate) opposite Taraji P. Henson. He also appeared opposite
Channing Tatum and Terrance Howard in "Fighting " (Rogue Pictures)
and alongside World Wrestling Entertainment superstar John Cena in the film "12
Rounds" (Fox Atomic). In 2008, he starred alongside Jason Statham in the
fantasy-adventure epic "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale" (Fox
International). White also starred in the musical-drama "Stomp the Yard" (Screen
Gems) and opposite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in Disney's box office
hit "The Game Plan." Other notable film credits include the box office
hit "The Family Stone" (Fox 2000) and Independent Spirit Award -nominated
film "Brick" (Focus Features/Universal).
A Boston native and son of a licensed financial consultant mother and professional
basketball player father (legend JoJo White of the Boston Celtics), White was
instilled with the importance of both sports and education throughout his childhood.
He studied Political Science, Psychology and Theater at Dartmouth College.
He continued to play football and lacrosse throughout his college years and upon
graduation was signed by both an NFL (New England Patriots) and NLL (Boston Blazers)
team. In 2000, due to an injury, White made the transition from professional
athlete to investment broker. Later on, a chance meeting with an entertainment
executive led him to leave the world of finance to begin a new career in modeling
and eventually acting.
White is most recognizable to television audiences as ‘Detective Tavon
Garris' on the award-winning FX crime drama "The Shield." Other television
credits include CBS' "Moonlight," UPN's "Moesha," "The
Parkers," and "Second Time Around" as well as MTV's "Spyder
Games."
He recently returned
from touring the United States in David E. Talbert's stage show "What My Husband Doesn't Know" alongside
Michelle Williams, Ann Nesby, Clifton Davis and Morris Chestnut.
He also has a
philanthropic side to him and has co-founded a multitude of different ventures
including: the Helping Hands Celebrity Weekend (HHCW) in St. Thomas, US VI which
creates a unique arena where members of the entertainment industry, professional
athletes and corporate leaders can unite and support one another's charitable
efforts; Black Carpenter (www.BlackCarpenter.org) which is a multi-platform youth
empowerment brand that includes a book, feature documentary and speaking tour
designed to create a "tool box" that
represents the essential life skills for building a successful next generation;
a professional dance company/community youth outreach organization called Phunk
Phenomenon Urban Dance Theatre. He is also a founding partner of a full-service
film, television and broadband production company based in Los Angeles, CA.
He will celebrate his first wedding anniversary later this summer.
REBECCA ROMIJN (Heidi) continues
to maintain her leading lady status in Hollywood with roles in a number of prominent
film and television projects. Romijn can be seen in the new Adult Swim comedy "NTSF:SD:SUV" opposite
Paul Scheer, Martin Starr and Rob Riggle.
Romijn most recently co-starred for two seasons on the Emmy® nominated ABC
comedy series "Ugly Betty." Romijn played ‘Alexis Meade,' formerly
known as ‘Alex Meade,' the presumed dead brother of current MODE Magazine
editor ‘Daniel' (Eric Mabius). In its debut season, the show won the Golden
Globe® for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and the Writers
Guild Award for Best New Series.
Previously, she starred in the blockbuster hits "X-Men," "X2," as
well as "X3: The Last Stand." In this trio of films she played
villainess ‘Mystique,' opposite Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry. She recently
reprised this role for a cameo in "X-Men: First Class." However, it
was her role in Brian De Palma's "Femme Fatale" opposite Antonio Banderas
that won her critical acclaim. In this film noir thriller, Romijn plays a woman
attempting to go straight, while being haunted by her shady con-woman past. The
Los Angeles Times said of her performance, "Not since Sissy Spacek burned
up the screen in "Carrie" has a De Palma woman held the screen as forcefully
as Rebecca Romijn." Other film credits include "The Punisher" "Godsend," "Rollerball," "Simone," "Lies
and Alibis," "Man About Town" and most recently, "Lake City."
Romijn previously starred on the WB series "Pepper Dennis." She began
crossing over from the fashion world to TV with memorable appearances on the
hit television shows "Friends" and "Just Shoot Me," as well
as hosting MTV's "House of Style."
She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Jerry O'Connell
and their twin daughters.
JAMIE KENNEDY (Mark Freeze) grew
up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the son of a machinist and a paralegal, and
the youngest of six children. He spent his formative years the same way as many
children: being abused by nuns in Catholic school, tormenting his parents, and
avoiding any thought of long-term goals. But when Jamie's high school guidance
counselor informed him that his grades, test scores and personality best suited
him to a career of shoeing horses, he decided that the time had come to get serious
about the future. He was going to move to Hollywood and become an actor. Honing
his skills on the comedy circuit, Jamie landed his big break being cast in Baz
Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," alongside Leonardo DiCaprio as a punked-out
rival to John Leguizamo. His career soon kicked into high gear as he co-starred
in his breakthrough performance as Randy Meeks, the video store clerk well-versed
in the conventions of scary movies, in Wes Craven's "Scream" and its
follow-up "Scream 2."
Since these early days, Jamie has worked alongside some of the biggest names
in Hollywood. While doing what he does best alongside legendary comics such as
Steve Martin in "Bowfinger," you see a harder side of Jamie Kennedy
the actor as a street hustler who attacks Greg Kinnear in the Oscar®-nominated "As
Good As It Gets." Across his acting range, he always maintains his crafted
ability to add much needed comedy into dramas, seen in "The Three Kings" with
George Clooney, "The Boiler Room" with Vin Diesel, and Tony Scott's "Enemy
of the State," playing a comedic techie in charge of protecting national
security alongside Seth Green with Will Smith and Gene Hackman.
In 2002, Kennedy created his own sketch comedy show "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment," a
television show that can be best described as a combination of "Candid Camera" meets "Saturday
Night Live." As a part of the show, he collaborated with Oprah Winfrey on
multiple occasions, combining his prank jokes and unwavering wit on her practical
joke special. "JKX" quickly became The WB's highest-ranking new show,
attracting three million viewers each week. Among the wacky characters played
by Kennedy, one became across the board an all-time favorite – Brad Gluckman
the Malibu rapper. Taking it to the next level in 2003, "Malibu 's Most
Wanted" was released starring Kennedy as the white "wanna-be rapper" from
Malibu. Both projects were produced by Kennedy's production company, Wannabe
Producers. The company also produced the TV comedy "Living with Fran" in
2005 with Fran Drescher, the WB reality show "The Startlet" in 2005,
and MTV's "Blowin' Up" in 2006, starring Kennedy and Stu Stone. He
also created and Executive Produced did his own comedy special, "Unwashed" in
2006 for Comedy Central.
Kennedy starred in "Son of the Mask" in 2005, the sequel to the blockbuster
Jim Carrey vehicle, "Kickin' It Old Skool" in 2007, about a young break
dancer who slips into a coma for twenty years and wakes up 2006, and "Heckler" in
2008, a documentary that examines the means, methods, and motives of hecklers,
comparing film critics to stand-up comedy hecklers. With approximately 190 episodes
of television under his belt – with networks that include CBS, WB, MTV,
Comedy Central, Showtime, NBC, Fox, and VH1 – Jamie currently provides
his voice for "The Cleveland Show" on Fox and was starring as psychology
professor Eli James in the CBS drama "Ghost Whisperer," which was Friday's
number one show on television at the time. Kennedy wrapped WWE's "Bending
the Rules" feature with Adam "The Edge" Copeland in the fall of
2010. After a five-week summer shoot in Europe, on "Lost and Found in Armenia," and
a three-episode arc on the final season of "Entourage," Jamie stayed
busy through the end of 2011. In the fall he starred alongside Joely Fisher in
the feature "Cupid, Inc." for the Hallmark Channel, and shot pilots
for truTV and TBS.
After working with such directors as Baz Luhrmann, Wes Craven, James L. Brooks,
Tony Scott, Frank Oz, David O. Russell, Antoine Fuqua, and Kevin Smith, Jamie
Kennedy is a true renaissance man, covering the genres of comedy, drama, animation,
reality, horror, action and thriller. Along the way he has also written his own
book "Wannabe" and recorded his own record "Blowin' Up." Kennedy
stands now with the experience of being a part of over 40 films with such industry
entities as Dimension, Fox, Universal, Warner Bros., New Line, Sony, and Disney,
totaling a gross of over 2 billion dollars in worldwide box-office sales. He
has appeared on "Oprah," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "Late
Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel," "George Lopez" and "Larry
King Live" to name a few. Kennedy has also been hired to either consult
or create commercials for several companies on new product launches. Pepsi hired
him to shoot four commercials for Aquafina water. Coors hired him to shoot a
commercial with the push of Coors Light into the urban market. AXE Body Spray
hired him to host an event for a new product release, along with other companies
such as Activision, Intel, and Sketchers to name a few. He even co-directed a
series of hidden-camera commercials for Toshiba with long-time collaborator Michael
Addis.
Kennedy has incorporated all this knowledge and fifteen years of experience in
the industry with his own production company, appropriately titled Jamie Kennedy
Entertainment, where he and his team produce and own all its own content.
A versatile actor who continues to expand his career in television and in film, EDDIE
CIBRIAN (John) has become one of the most recognized and talented
actors in the business today. This past fall Eddie starred in the short lived
NBC 60's period-piece, "The Playboy Club." Using the proliferation
of the then Chicago-based Playboy empire as a backdrop, Cibrian played Nick Dalton,
the handsome mob-tied lawyer and man-of-the-town who frequents the club and its
bunnies. For the recent years leading up to this role, Cibrian starred for five
seasons as firefighter ‘Jimmy Doherty' in the popular NBC series, "Third
Watch;" also starred in the ESPN series, "Tilt;" followed by the
ABC series "Invasion;" Fox series "Vanished;" and most recently
playing the role of ‘Jesse Cardoza' on the hit CBS television series, "CSI:
Miami."
Born and raised in California, Cibrian began his acting career at the age of
12, landing a Coca-Cola commercial on his very first audition. Following the
success of that spot, Cibrian appeared in numerous other national commercials.
Upon entering high school, Cibrian decided to put his acting career on hold to
pursue his other passion – sports. He excelled in every sport he competed
in, including football, baseball, soccer and volleyball, and graduated high school
with several All-State honors.
Cibrian continued his successful athletic career when he entered UCLA's football
program in the fall of 1991. Unfortunately, an injury during his first year on
the team left Cibrian sidelined and with extra time on his hands. The lack of
physical activity left a void in Cibrian's life, so he decided to return to acting.
Cibrian immediately landed several national commercials and soon after, starred
in Malcolm-Jamal Warner's Emmy®-Award winning television special "Kids
Killing Kids." The attention Cibrian garnered for his appearance on Warner's
special led to several soap opera auditions, one of them being for the role of
Nick Newman on CBS's "The Young and the Restless." Although the show's
producers felt that Cibrian was too old to play Nick, they were extremely impressed
with his acting abilities and created a character for him on the show, that of
the conniving Matt Clark. Within three months, Cibrian had received so much fan
mail that CBS signed him to a three-year contract.
After appearing on "The Young and the Restless" for two years, Cibrian
starred in several television shows including "The Bold and the Beautiful," "Baywatch
Nights," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" and "Saved
by the Bell: The College Years."
It was not long before Aaron Spelling offered Cibrian the starring role of ‘Cole
Deschanel' on the NBC daytime drama, "Sunset Beach." Just five months
after his debut, TV Guide named Cibrian one of "Daytime's 12 Hottest Stars."
Coinciding with "Sunset Beach," Cibrian also found time in his busy
schedule to star as the lead in a CBS movie-of-the-week, "Logan's War: Bound
by Honor." Cibrian's other television credits include the Lifetime movie, "Jackie's
Back," and the NBC biblical mini-series "In the Beginning," with
Martin Landau, Jacqueline Bisset and Billy Campbell.
Prior to "CSI: Miami," Eddie appeared simultaneously in recurring roles
on three series – the role of ‘Coach Diaz' on the ABC series, "Ugly
Betty," the role of Eddie LaRoche on the USA cable series, "The Starter
Wife" and the role of ‘Kevin' in the ABC series, "Samantha Who." In
2009, he starred in the Lifetime Movie "Northern Lights" and in March
2010 was seen in the lead role in the Hallmark movie, "Helping Hands."
Eddie's feature motion picture credits include his memorable performance in "Living
Out Loud," the sci-fi/horror film "The Cave," 20th Century Fox's "Say
It Isn't So" starring Heather Graham and Chris Klein, and Fine Line's "But
I'm a Cheerleader" starring Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall.
Cibrian is the proud father of two sons – ages 8 and 4 and is married to
country singer, actress LeAnn Rimes. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf,
football, tennis and basketball, and is involved with the Make-a-Wish Foundation,
as well as several other charitable organizations.
JORDENN THOMPSON (Ariel) was born
in Los Angeles, California on June 17 th, 2003. Jordenn was discovered at the
age of four by her manager, who immediately signed her to FORD Models Los Angeles
and Coast to Coast Talent Group. Jordenn has appeared in numerous print campaigns
and national commercials. Last year, Jordenn reoccurred on the SyFy Network's, "Eureka." She
also starred in the Indie comedy "Should've Been Romeo," opposite Ed
Asner. Jordenn is an avid reader, and she loves to play soccer. Jordenn is on
a competitive soccer team and practices religiously every day. Jordenn is also
an ardent animal lover. She hopes to one day run a dog and cat rescue and charity
organization. Jordenn looks forward to continuing her career in TV and Film,
and never hesitates to inform anyone that she is, "A Professional Actress."
A native of Houston, Texas, PHYLICIA RASHAD (Wilimena) graduated
magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater from Howard University.
Ms. Rashad recently made her directorial debut at the helm of The Seattle Repertory
Theatre's production of August Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean." Broadway
credits include "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (and on the West End)," "Gem
of the Ocean," "Raisin in the Sun" (2004 Tony Award for Best Actress
in a Play/Drama Desk Award), "Blue," "Jelly's Last Jam," "Into
the Woods," "Dreamgirls," "The Wiz" and "Ain't
Supposed To Die A Natural Death." Off Broadway credits include Lincoln Center's
productions of "Cymbeline" and "Bernarda Alba;" "Helen," "The
Story" and "Everybody's Ruby" at the NYSF Public Theatre; The
Negro Ensemble Company productions of "Puppet Play," "Zooman and
the Sign," "Sons and Fathers of Sons," "In An Upstate Motel," "Weep
Not For Me," and "The Great Mac Daddy;" Lincoln Center's production
of Ed Bullins' "The Duplex;" and "The Sirens" at the Manhattan
Theatre Club. In regional theatre, she performed as Euripedes' "Medea" and
in "Blues for and Alabama Sky" at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta,
Georgia. Other regional theatres at which she has performed are The Arena Stage
in Washington, D.C. and the Huntington Theatre in Boston.
Known to television audiences for her role as ‘Claire Huxtable' on "The
Cosby Show" and as ‘Ruth Lucas' on the CBS sitcom, "Cosby," she
received the NAACP Image Award for "Best Actress in a Comedy Series" for
both of these roles. She has also been nominated for two Emmy® Awards and
has received two People's Choice® Awards.
Feature film credits include: "Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored," directed
by Tim Reid; "Free of Eden," opposite Sydney Poitier; "Loving
Jezebel," directed by Kwyn Bader; "The Visit," directed by Jordan
Walker Pearlman; "Just Wright" with Queen Latifah; "Frankie & Alice" with
Halle Berry; "For Colored Girls;" and most recently "Gods Behaving
Badly."
Television film credits include: "A Raisin in the Sun" (2008 Emmy® nomination), "The
Old Settler" (AFI nomination) directed by Debbie Allen, "David's Mother," "False
Witness," "Jailbirds," "Polly" and "Polly Comin'
Home." Other television appearances include "Touched by an Angel," "Blossom," "A
Different World," and recently "A Change of Plans" and "Psyche."
As an active participant in charitable and nonprofit organizations, Ms. Rashad
supports the work of the PRASAD Project, an international charitable organization
and is a member of the Broadway Inspirational Voices. In addition to supporting
these organizations, Ms. Rashad is dedicated to the importance of the Fine Arts
in Education.
Ms. Rashad has received honorary doctorates from Providence College in Rhode
Island, Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Clark University, and Barber-Scotia
College and is a recipient of the Harvard University Foundation Award. In 1999
she was the recipient of the Dorothy L. Height Dreamaker Award sponsored by the
National Council of Negro Women Inc. in association with Aunt Jemima/The Quaker
Oats Company. In December of 2001, Ms. Rashad was honored by the Board of Directors
of New York Women in Film and Television with The Muse Award for Outstanding
Vision and Achievement.
One of today's hottest stars, GABRIELLE UNION (Natalie) continues
to shine. Gabrielle will be seen in Screen Gems' "Think Like a Man," based
on Steve Harvey's book "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man." The film,
directed by Tim Story is slated for release on March 9 th, 2012. Additionally,
Gabrielle wrapped production for Film Science's independent film, "In our
Nature," starring opposite John Slattery, Zach Gilford and Jena Malone.
Directed by Brian Savelson, the film is slated for release in 2012.
Gabrielle's film credits include the critically acclaimed "Cadillac Records," "The
Perfect Holiday," "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls," Ryan Murphy
's "Running With Scissors," the blockbuster hit "Bad Boys II," "Breakin'
All the Rules," "Deliver Us From Eva," Universal's cult hit "Bring
It On," "Welcome to Collinwood," "Abandoned," "Two
Can Play That Game," "Love & Basketball," "Cradle to
the Grave," "Ten Things I Hate About You," "The Brothers," "Neo
Ned," "The Honeymooners," "Meet Dave" and "She's
All That." On the small screen, Gabrielle made her debut in UPN's hit comedy "Moesha," and
then went on to guest-star on such hit shows as "ER," "Dave's
World" and "The Steve Harvey Show." Shortly thereafter, Gabrielle
had a recurring role on two WB hit shows, "Sister, Sister" and "7th
Heaven." Gabrielle stirred things up when she guest starred as a love interest
to both ‘Joey' (Matt LeBlanc) and ‘Ross' (David Schwimmer) on "Friends." With
this role, Gabrielle marked the first African-American love interest on the series.
She also joined the cast of Steven Bochco's "City of Angels" for one
season. Gabrielle was seen on ABC's "Flash Forward," NBC's "Life" and
ABC's "Ugly Betty." In addition, she starred on ABC's critically acclaimed
series "Night Stalker" opposite Stuart Townsend and was also seen on
HBO's award-winning "Something the Lord Made," which starred Alan Rickman,
Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def.
Gabrielle's passion for acting is rivaled by her involvement as an Ambassador
for the Susan G. Komen Foundation as well as her support for the Young Survivor
Coalition (YSC) and the Rape Treatment Center (RTC) at UCLA. In her free time,
Gabrielle often travels on behalf of Susan G. Komen and the YSC to share her
story of losing a friend to Breast Cancer and inspire others as well as visits
the RTC to talk to young women. She also helped found a program called "A
Step for Success" in 2004 which helps to raise funds for the economically
challenged Kelso Elementary School in Los Angeles. The program holds fundraisers
to help pay for books, classroom supplies and many other daily needs that teachers
have fallen burden to paying for themselves. Gabrielle currently serves as a
brand ambassador for Neutrogena, featured in its national television and print
campaigns.
She has been acting as spokesperson since 2004. Native of Nebraska, Gabrielle
currently lives in Los Angeles.
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